The idea was to select a few "B" things in your life so I'm breaking it down by category.

1. "Ooooh! Barracuda!" If we're talking music I'm very partial to the Beatles, Beethoven, Bizet, BB King, Blondie, Bodyrockers, Barenaked Ladies, the B-52s and the Bee Gees--with a touch of Buffalo Springfield in there for good political measure.

Though I cannot tolerate Beyonce, Bobby McFerrin or Bob Marley. In that order. I'd mention a "B" artist in the country genre but then I can't think of any--I tend to avoid that area at all costs--so you'll have to fill in the blank for yourself on that one.

2. Books. Quite easy--I'd say the Brontes (though give me Jane Eyre over Wuthering Heights any day--those crazies are just too frustrating for words) along with Big Rock Candy Mountain (another Stegner classic), Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Lord Byron. And if those aren't enough B's to keep you happy I'd add Beowulf just because I'm feeling cheeky today though it's been a while since I cracked the cover on that one.

I'm reading The Bostonians right now though it's rather slow going--I wouldn't necessarily recommend it and have been stuck on page 323 for about six months--and I'm about to read Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.

3. Big hair. Because I graduated from high school in 1988 and you could hardly escape it. This should also include "bangs" for a bodacious bigger bonus.

4. The Big Screen. I'm a sucker for classic movies. Give me the Bridge on the River Kwai, Bachelor Mother, Ben-Hur, the Bishop's Wife, Bell, Book and Candle, Bullit, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Butch Cassidy over Benjamin Button, Blade, Blair Witch or Bodysnatchers.

And speaking of movies and the infamous Mr. Jolie. . . I've had this theory for years now that Benicio del Toro is really Brad Pitt. Or at least a Latin and not-so-gently-used version. Check it out. Kind of creepy no?

5. BYU. As a plug for my alma mater. Graduated in 1992 just before becoming a bride. I'd love to be able to say that I graduated in biology, Bulgarian or business management because "English" doesn't really fit the theme does it?

I didn't even take basket weaving though did take a bowling class once . . . not that it improved my game any. I can be beaten on any given day by each of my children (Grace bowled a 173 the other day if I can brag a moment--my average is around 86).

6. Bon Appetit! If we're talking food it's not hard to find the B favorites: brie, Burger King, blackberries, creme brulee, bologna and any kind of bread would all go on my list. I do not, however, consume baklava (too sweet), bananas (too mushy), buffalo wings (too much waste of time and calories) or borscht (too beety). My B's and my taste buds are very discerning you know.

7. Barbecue. Like to eat it, don't know how to spell it. It's a word I get wrong every time--is it barbecue or barbeque or barbq or BBQ? Let's standardize the language people and save ourselves a bunch of time with the spell check okay?

8. Bon Voyage!I've been to the Bahamas, Belize, Belgium and Bemidji and we hope to go visit my parents in Bangalore within the next year but I haven't been to Barrow which is where Andrew travels all the time (and where all the vampires live apparently--you know, with all the darkness and everything). He says he hasn't seen any vampires yet but then I imagine they lay rather low when the attorneys come to town. They may be vampires but hey, you don't want to mess with lawyers do you? That's when things really get ugly. I'd take a cross and some garlic over a subpoena any day.

9. Breakfast. The absolutely best meal of the day. It doesn't matter what restaurant you go to, breakfast is gonna be good. I don't care if we're talking bagels and cream cheese, bacon, buttermilk pancakes or brioche it's always a treat and I wish we could change things to make it so breakfast was served for each meal instead of just once a day. I still dream about my freshman college days when the dorms had a breakfast bar with pancakes and waffles where you could just pile on whatever toppings you wanted: cherries, raspberries, whipped cream . . . talk about heaven.

10. B words. Oh there's so much one could say here. I could talk about words that really should be brought back into the language. Words like "bogglish" which means "uncertain," "bathyorographical" meaning relative to sea level or "bablatrice" which means a "female babbler" (can you think of a more wonderfully descriptive word ever invented?)

Or I could talk about words I really like: bougainvillea, bulbous, bromilead, or my most favorite interjection "¡Que barbaridad!" Which I throw around from time to time when the Latin mood strikes.

But I'll end with the most pertinent B word: "blogging" which I'll return to right after making beds, cleaning the bathrooms and paying the bills.

Sorry! Updated to add the winner of the Sesame Street Live Giveaway: James from (you guessed it) New York, New York. I'm slow but I eventually get there. And to those whose names weren't drawn magically from the hate do not despair--I have Dora the Explorer Live tickets coming in a few weeks that I'll be giving away so stay tuned.

Jennifer--you know I meant to upload my high school picture but never got around to it yesterday (Wednesdays are my busy day) though I hear there are no accidents in life--I'm sure it was a subliminal thing because it's really a horrible picture.

Favorite breakfast cereal? I did do a list a year or so ago but Cinnamon Toast Crunch if I'm feeling sweet, granola if I'm feeling healthy.

Tonguu--HOW did I forget those guys?? Shows how much I know about country, I blocked them all and couldn't think of a one.

Neas--BYU Provo. 1988-1992 then I stayed another two years until Andrew graduated.

Darcie--I LOVE Scattergories, it's my favorite and I tend to do pretty well on it. Unless I'm playing with my Dad because we seem to cancel out each other's answers.

Annette--I loved English. I started out as journalism then switched half way through.

hey!! are your parents missionaries in b'lore? if they are... my parents might have heard of them or maybe even know them!! i know this sounds nuts.. but if yours have been there for a long time, then chances are most christians knew most of the missionaries in the earlier days in India!!

How about Boo for BYU...I'm a UofU alum and as you know they are fall football rivals, I was also raised in SLC so every fall we boo'ed BYU.

B for bagels (love em)B for boys (because boy mom's rule!)B for backwards because I have to look back to go forwardB for Blog...otherwise i would never have found your great blog and it's been my new fav pasttime!

so after doing this and reading 'b' comments is your head full of b's all day?

Old movies are the best. Check out Random Harvest - Greer Garson became one of my fav's after that. Your whole family (boys included) might also like The Four Feathers, but be sure to get the old B&W version. Beau Geste also. 1939 was a banner year for movies.

I just knew we were kindred! Brontes are MY favorite, too! and definitely Charlotte over Emily. I actually will challenge the Brontes (including Anne!) to a literary duel over Jane Austen any day. It's just not as fun to read about the privileged as it is to read about the downtrodden.

I have to laugh at the breakfast buffet. When I was in college (oh so many years ago) at my alma mater - Western Michigan University (go broncos!) they used to have a doughnut buffet in the cafeteria. They would make homemade cake doughnuts and you could top them with anything you wanted from chocolate frosting to sprinkles. They were the best doughnuts I've EVER eaten and I still dream about the smell of them in the morning. Mmmmm. Dorm food might not have always been great but those doughnuts were a blessing from God.

Very well done! Wish you could have come to Blissdom09 blogging conference! Would love to meet in person.

BTW, since we talked about movies before, I got a chance to be in a another one two weeks ago - Law Abiding Citizen that was filming locally. Totally fun with Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx. They are so nice. 13 hours of filming. I was TIRED!